Enforcement 8/26: Enforcement of Labubus and similar toys

The Swedish Chemicals Agency has tested nine Labubu stuffed animals—both originals and counterfeit versions—for the presence of restricted substances. The labeling was also checked for five of them.

During the summer and early autumn of 2025, Labubu plush toys became very popular among children in Sweden and large parts of the world. In addition to the original products, many counterfeit copies of Labubu plush toys have also been sold.

The Swedish Chemicals Agency has controlled the presence of restricted substances in nine Labubu plush toys, both original and counterfeit copies. In this report, we use the term Labubu plush toys for both original and counterfeit copies. For five of the toys, the labelling was also controlled. The inspection was carried out during the autumn and winter of 2025.
Of the nine Labubu plush toys we tested, five contained too high levels of restricted substances. The restricted substances detected were phthalates found in the plastic of the faces of the plush toys. All five were, in our assessment, counterfeit copies.

The phthalates detected are limited in toys because they have reproductive and endocrine disrupting properties. Although high levels of the substances were found in several cases, it cannot be said that exposure from a single product causes any harm to a child playing with the toy. Rather, it is exposure over a longer period of time from different sources that is problematic. However, it is serious that toys contain such substances.

When controlling the labelling on five of the plush toys, we discovered that one plush toy lacked a CE mark and four lacked the name and contact information of the importer. Several of the plush toys had labels stating that they were not toys or that they were intended for children over 8 years of age. The Swedish Chemicals Agency's assessment is that these plush toys are toys for children of all ages and that this labelling is therefore incorrect.
All Labubu plush toys that we found to be non-compliant have been voluntarily withdrawn from the market by the retailers.

The control has shown that there is a risk that counterfeit toys contain restricted substances in concentrations above limit values. This is especially true if the toys are made of materials where there is a high risk of such substances being used.